Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
    • Meet the 2021 winners
    • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automotive News Europe
October 15, 2013 01:00 AM

BMW considers boosting EV production on strong early demand for i3

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Share
    BMW's electric i3 is the first mass-produced car made largely from carbon fiber.
    Share
    Share
    The i3 hatchback is the first model from BMW's i subbrand.
    Share
    BMW will start sales of its i3 electric car in Germany next month. The base price will be 34,950 euros.
    Share
    Share
    BMW began sales of its i3 EV in late 2013. The i3 has a range of about 150km on a single charge.
    Share
    Share
    BMW says the i3 can travel 160 kms (100 miles) on a single charge.

    FRANKFURT (Bloomberg) -- BMW is considering a production increase for the i3 electric car after early demand for the model exceeded the automaker's expectations.

    Customers have reserved more than 8,000 of the battery-powered i3 compact models even before the car goes on sale in Europe next month, BMW's Chief Financial Officer Friedrich Eichiner said.

    BMW expects to sell more than 10,000 of the i3s next year and "will adjust capacity according to demand," Eichiner said at a press conference in Amsterdam on Monday. "If demand holds, which is what it's looking like, we will soon have to invest more."

    BMW's preliminary success is a positive sign for the entire industry. While automakers are rolling out scores of new electric cars, they have struggled with efforts to gain traction with alternative-drive vehicles amid consumer concern that powering systems offer only limited distance before a recharge is needed and objections to higher prices.

    The i3 will go on sale in Germany on Nov. 16, followed by the U.S., China and Japan in the first half of next year. The i3 will cost 34,950 euros in Germany and $41,350 in the United States.

    BMW has said the automaker sees good sales potential for the i3 in affluent urban regions of California, Europe and Asia.

    Profitable sales

    "The interest in the i3 electric car is generally a good sign," said Sascha Gommel, a Frankfurt-based analyst with Commerzbank. "BMW has already absorbed the research and development costs for the vehicle and the car is profitable. So every car sold contributes to profits."

    BMW has invested at least 2 billion euros ($2.7 billion) on developing the "i" series, analysts say. BMW developed the i3 from scratch rather than converting an existing model, an approach to electric vehicles that contrasts with other conventional automakers.

    The i3 is the first car for BMW's i sub-brand. The i8 hybrid supercar will go on sale next year. More models may be on the way. BMW has trademarked i1 through i9, Ian Robertson, BMW's sales chief, said in July.

    The spending on development of new models and expanding production capacity caused the operating profit margin at BMW's auto division to narrow to 10 percent in the second quarter from 12 percent a year earlier.

    "We'll have to work very hard to keep profitability within our target corridor" of 8 percent to 10 percent in the coming years because of large investments required to meet stricter emissions regulations and the weak car market in Europe, Eichiner said.

    No production halt

    The rollout of the i3 will go ahead as planned next month and won't be impacted by issues that typically affect the ramp up of a new model, Eichiner said. The executive was responding to a report by the German publication Wirtschaftswoche over the weekend that said problems bonding carbon-fiber components for the car led to a 10-day production halt.

    With the i3, BMW joins Renault and Nissan in betting heavily that electric cars will win wider consumer acceptance despite their high price and limited range compared with vehicles powered by internal combustion engines or plug-in hybrids.

    Renault and Nissan, which together are the car industry's largest producer of electric autos, will miss a 2016 deadline of 1.5 million deliveries, Carlos Ghosn, the head of both companies, said in early September. Deliveries of battery-powered cars by the French and Japanese manufacturers totaled 68,000 vehicles last year.

    Volkswagen outlined plans in September to offer as many as 40 electric or hybrid vehicles. The move by VW, which is just now bringing out alternative-drive cars, echoes a broader shift in the industry, with all major automakers at last month's Frankfurt auto show presenting electric or hybrid models for the first time.

    Automotive News Europe contributed to this report

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Riccardo Ferrario of Giga Press maker Idra to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Related Articles
    BMW i3
    Recommended for You
    Riccardo Ferrario Idra web 2022
    Riccardo Ferrario of Giga Press maker Idra to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Guido Dumarey Punch
    Punch CEO Guido Dumarey to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath 2022
    Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
        • Meet the 2021 winners
      • ANE Eurostars
        • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us